Judge rejects plea deal in crash that killed two

October 13, 2007|By Nancy L. OthM-sn Staff Writer

A suburban West Palm Beach man was prepared to plead guilty Friday to two counts of vehicular homicide in the deaths of two retirees, but a judge rejected the agreement, which would have spared the driver prison time and a felony conviction.

As part of the proposed agreement, Humberto Corrales, 60, was going to plead guilty in his best interest and would have been sentenced to three years' probation. His license would have been suspended and prosecutors were ready to drop three counts of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury.

But Circuit Judge Sandra McSorley refused to accept the plea after hearing prosecutors lay out the facts of the case. On Nov. 16, Corrales, the driver of a Speedy Rooter septic tanker, allegedly ran a red light on Okeechobee Boulevard and crashed into a mini-bus carrying 13 people from the Golden Lakes Village retirement community. Lillian Starkman, 92, and Mariam Sherman, 84, died of injuries suffered in the crash.

Prosecutors say Corrales was 500 feet west of the intersection when the light turned yellow and 270 feet away when it switched to red. They contend Corrales ran the red light because he did not want to brake suddenly, knowing that his vehicle could roll over.

McSorley said the distance measurement is a question for a jury to decide, and that running a red light alone is not sufficient to justify the crime.

"I don't know that there's a crime that's been committed," McSorley said. "The point of the matter is, if he's guilty of the crime, I'm not sure the justification would be this plea. If there is no crime, he shouldn't have to plead, that's the way I see it."

Corrales will be back in court Nov. 27. The case may now go to trial, or his attorney could file a motion to dismiss the charges. If he is convicted of all five counts, he faces a maximum of 45 years in prison.

Nancy OthM-sn can be reached at nothon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5502.